Birding in the Texas Panhandle

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Fall, Finally

It’s been a strange fall in the Panhandle. Last week it was hot, dry and windy with temperatures in the mid and upper 80s and a southwest wind that has brutalized us without mercy. Four days ago the winds were 40 mph with gusts up to 60; a miserable, dirty day. Sunday we had our first hard freeze and the weather has been much more fall like, although it’s still a bit windy. The playa I’ve been visiting for the last couple of months is completely dry now with nary a bird in sight. Lake Meredith is as low as it has been since it was initially began filling in the early 60s. At it’s fullest the south end of the lake was about 5 miles south of where it is now. The good news is the smaller lake makes it easier to see the migrating waterfowl.

I’m finally starting to see waterfowl on the ponds at Spring Canyon. While it doesn’t have the sheer numbers that Meredith has, it offers the best opportunities for photographing migrating and wintering birds. I’ve been waiting for Hooded Mergansers, one of my favorite water birds, and they’ve arrived,

along with Common Mergansers, Buffleheads, and Canada Geese. There’s a couple of Snow Geese in the middle of the throng as well.

I’ve also seen a couple of Bald Eagles at Meredith two or three times in last few weeks, but nothing steady yet and nothing close enough to get a good pic. This one was at Palo Duro Reservoir just north of Spearman, texas in Hansford Co.

White-crowned Sparrows are everywhere, now. I don’t remember seeing this many last year.

A few more birds-Greater Roadrunner.

Song Sparrow.

Pied-billed Grebe,

Greater Yellowlegs,

and a Rock Wren. These are bold little birds that sit on boulders on the canyon walls and fence posts, and sometimes even NPS signs, and bounce up and down, singing loudly.